Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
On the one hand, I loved the language. On the other, it reminded me of my father, and being in a forced marriage with that reminder wasn’t easy to withstand. A heavy arm draped over my shoulder, jolting me back to the present. I glanced up to see my brother Dominic smiling down at me and turned to give him a full hug. I’d always loved how my older brother’s hugs felt like they engulfed and shielded me from everything around us. My other brother, his twin, gave great hugs too, but where Dom was all muscle, Gabe was lean.
“I’m surprised Dad let you wear that dress,” Dom said as he pulled away.
“I thought the same,” Adriano said behind me.
“What’s wrong with my dress?” I looked down at my dress as if I didn’t know what I was wearing.
It was a sheer sequin mock neck gown with a high neckline. It also had a high slit and was designed to look like I was naked underneath, even though it had a bodysuit. Adriano looked plain in a dark suit and tie. Honestly, I was making him look good, playing the part of the perfect trophy wife-to-be, so I didn’t know why he would complain about my dress.
“You look naked,” Adriano replied, making a face like I was beneath him.
“It’s Oscar de la Renta.” I smiled my perfectly fake smile at him.
Adriano shook his head. “Nice to see you, Dominic.”
Dom nodded in greeting and did the same to the men in front of us. They nodded back, their eyes widening in fear. Whether fear or respect, I wasn’t sure there was a difference between the two. For a long time, I didn’t understand why the men in my family elicited such a response. Even Gabriel, who had nothing to do with the organized crime life, was feared by everyone. My best guess was that they knew that if they messed with him, Dominic would be the one to come knocking. As far as I was concerned, Dominic, Giovanni, and Lorenzo were big teddy bears. To everyone else, they were monsters. The only two I didn’t know well enough were Dean and Rocco. Dean rarely traveled to Italy to meet with Dad. And Rocco? Well, I wasn’t sure why he didn’t come around. He used to when I was little. Back then, I had the biggest crush on him. How could I not? With his sharp jaw and piercing blue eyes, he looked like one of the G.I. Joe action figures my boy cousins used to own. The last time I saw Dean was a few years ago. The last time I saw Rocco was around my thirteenth birthday.
“I’m going to borrow her for a moment,” Dom said to Adriano, who waved his acceptance and smiled as I walked away.
“Oh my God, thank you,” I said as we left them behind. “I was dying. I would have cried if I had to hear them discuss his dukedom and family history any longer.”
“That’s what they were talking about?” Dom chuckled, shaking his head. “I guess you better get used to it.”
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered.
“I’m sorry, Norie.” He set his hand over my shoulder and pulled me to his side as we walked. “I’ve spoken to Pop countless times, but he doesn’t budge. Maybe he’s right, though. You’d be a duchess, and that’s much better than being a mafia wife.”
“Is it, though?” I twisted my neck to meet his gaze and raise an eyebrow. “And he’s old, Dom.”
“He’s not that old.”
“He’s thirty-five. I’m twenty-two. That’s disgusting.”
“Nora.” Dom sighed, stopped walking a few steps away from Rosie, and made me face him. “We all have to do things we don’t like.”
“He’s ugly, Dom.” I shut my eyes, hating how I sounded like I was whining, but every time I thought about Adriano touching me, my stomach revolted.
He sighed heavily and gave me a sad look before we continued our walk to the cocktail tables, where Lorenzo, Catalina, Gio, and Isabel spoke to Rosie and Dean. Again, no Rocco Marchetti in sight.
“Nora!” Rosie smiled wide as she hugged me and kissed my cheek.
“You look beautiful,” I said as we pulled away and did the same with the rest of them.
Rosie always looked beautiful. They all did. From what I could tell, despite their rocky beginnings, the three seem perfectly content being mafia wives. From my vantage point, it seemed much better than whatever awaited me with the Duke. Even Catalina seemed perfectly content as Lorenzo’s wife, and she’d been completely against marrying into this life. She’d been raised in boarding schools like me. The difference was that Uncle Joe wasn’t like my father. Cat and her sister Emma had always been free to choose their spouses. Dad said it was because Uncle Joe was more American than Italian. My father disapproved of this, yet he sent me to boarding school in the U.S., and in turn, I now felt like I related more to their rules than those of the old country. Unfortunately, I couldn’t abide them.